Babies who lack love 'at risk of poor brain development'

BABIES who do not receive love and stimulation in their first year are at risk of poor brain development and social skills, a child health expert Dr Cheryl Power has warned.
Dr Power, a clinical psychologist, said that babies of mothers with mental health difficulties could be at risk because health professionals too often focus on the problems of the mother, making the infant 'invisible.
But Dr Power, who works at Liverpools Alder Hey childrens hospital, told the Royal College of Psychiatrists annual meeting in Liverpool that this isolated approach could have a detrimental effect on babies health. She urged health workers to focus on the whole mother-baby relationship. The infant needs to be exposed to stimulation and social interaction to enable their brains to develop, said Dr Power. Mothers with mental health difficulties are compromised in how they are able to provide stimulation and how they are able to interact with infants. That will influence how a babys brain develops.
She told delegates that it was necessary to think about the parenting role of mothers with mental health difficulties, as well as their personal needs.
If the mother can be successful in the social role of being a parent they are more likely to recover from their mental health difficulties and thats going to have a major impact on the development of the infant, Telegraph